Half empty or half full?

As season resumes, some teams are more optimistic than others

By HOWIE RUMBERG
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: July 18, 2013;Last modified: July 17, 2014 05:54PM

Much of the focus as baseball heads into the second half is on the possible suspensions of Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun and a handful of All-Stars implicated in the Biogenesis performance enhancing drug scandal.

Puigmania, a Pirates revival and one impressive power show in Baltimore may shift the gaze back onto the field, where there will be a lot to watch headed down the stretch of the regular season.

Fans who have been celebrating Mariano Rivera at every stop of his farewell tour should get a chance to watch returning stars Derek Jeter, Chris Carpenter, A-Rod and even Manny Ramirez after a first half dominated by 20-somethings.

The American League won the All-Star Game on Tuesday night, giving home-field advantage in the World Series back to the junior circuit after three years of NL dominance. Now the race is on to get to the Fall Classic, and some underachieving preseason favorites are looking to make their moves.

Every playoff spot is legitimately up for grabs, with no team leading a division by more than a half-dozen games. And the NL East, where Atlanta is up six on Washington, is the only place where the division leader is ahead by three games or more. Even the Colorado Rockies are only 41/2 games out of first place in the NL West. But their record is also under .500, and the dog days of August are approaching.

What to look for in the second half, that begins today:

Clock is ticking

The Washington Nationals need a healthy Bryce Harper to get into a groove and help them chase down Atlanta.

The big-spending Dodgers are suddenly surging, 17-5 since June 22, thanks to the youthful exuberance of Yasiel Puig, with a smile to match that of owner Magic Johnson.

North of the border, the Blue Jays made the biggest offseason moves but NL Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey’s knuckleball has been mostly off-target and Toronto finds itself in last place in the powerful AL East.

Homer crush

Baltimore’s big Chris Davis is off on a race of his own. With 37 homers before the break — tying Reggie Jackson (1969) for best ever in the AL — talk of the single-season home run record is bubbling again.

Crush Davis, however, doesn’t have his sights set on Barry Bonds’ 73 homers, he wants to top Roger Maris’ 61 homers.

“After everything came out, I assumed 61 was the record,” Davis said. “I think it’s what a lot of fans would agree on.”